e t c e t e r a
1. A number of unspecified additional things; 2. pl. additional items, odds and ends

SEARCH FOR MISSING CREW CONTINUES The search for three crewmen who were aboard the Lady of Grace fishing vessel that sank off Nantucket sometime between Friday and Saturday continued yesterday after one body was recovered by state police divers Monday afternoon.

According to a report yesterday morning from a Boston Coast Guard public relations spokesperson, the owner of the 75-foot dragger, Santos Fishing Corporation based in New Bedford, contracted divers to plug vents in the boat to mitigate pollution from oil leaks and state police divers were en route to the scene 11 miles north of the island to attempt to locate the remaining crew. Though some news accounts have named the body found as the vessel's captain, the Coast Guard has not received that confirmation.

The boat was discovered Sunday submerged in 36 feet of water, however no information is yet available on the cause of the sinking. According to Steamship Authority estimates, at 9:30 p.m. on Friday winds in the area where the vessel went down were blowing northwest at 30 to 35 miles an hour and seas were running four to seven feet. At 7:30 a.m. on Saturday the winds were west northwest at 10 to 15 miles an hour and seas were at one to three feet. Coast Guard Station Brant Point assisted in the search sending out its 47-footer with six crew aboard for almost eight hours on Saturday and on Sunday its 21-footer with three crew conducted shoreline searches. In addition, its mobile unit combed island beaches Saturday night, Sunday and Monday.

The local Coast Guard was assisted by the Nantucket fire, police and marine departments as well as the island's state police, said Brant Point Senior Chief Sheila Lucey. The Coast Guard suspended its official rescue mission at 8:35 Monday morning due to the unlikely survival of the Lady of Grace personnel.

STUDENTS RECEIVE DENTAL EXAMS Nantucket Elementary School students will receive dental examinations this Friday, Feb. 2, as part of the American Dental Association's National Give Kids a Smile Day.

The exams are sponsored by the Forsyth Institute of Boston which, through its ForsythKids program, has established dental health programs in six schools in three school systems - Hyannis, Lynn and Boston - since 2003. According to a press release from the Forsyth Health Foundation, "Elementary school children in the program receive in-school dental examinations provided by dentists; oral health education by dental hygienists; preventative services twice a year, which include: dental cleaning, application of sealants to prevent decay, fluoride and temporary fillings. All of this takes about 15 minutes a year and doesn't require the kids to leave school or their parents to miss work."

The Forsyth Institute hopes to "launch a Cape and Island's-wide schoolbased cavities prevention program."

TIME TO THROW IN YOUR TWO CENTS The Board of Selectmen has scheduled a public informational meeting regarding the Sconset Beach Preservation Fund's proposed beach nourishment project along the eastern shoreline of Nantucket. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. at the former Coffin School on Winter Street. The Board is seeking public input and comment on the project and encourages public attendance at the meeting.

GET A GRANT Applications for grants from the Nantucket Golf Club Foundation are now available for the spring review. These grants are given to charitable nonprofits whose mission involves direct benefit to Nantucket's children. The deadline for filing is April 1. For more information and application forms please email to mcrowell@nantucketgolfclub.com.

10 SCHOOL ST. NEAR MISS Landing not where the Toscana Corp. had planned to place it, gradually easing down onto a new foundation with hydraulic jacks, a house at 10 School St., collapsed on Monday with two workers beneath it.

Nantucket Fire Chief Mark McDougall said that the workers escaped with minor injuries and were able to drive themselves to Nantucket Cottage Hospital. The house is owned by Leigh J. Abramson and Carrie C. Abramson of New York City, N.Y. who purchased it from Sarah Shinn Pratt of Woodbury, Conn. for $1,654,000 in October 2005. The entire property is valued at $1,418,700 the house, which the Abramsons were in the process of restoring, is assessed at $229,600.

The accident is under investigation by the State Police and insurance companies.

WHEN PLANNING AND RULING INTERSECT Those who attend the Nantucket Planning & Economic Development Commission's next meeting are in for a treat. The Board of Selectmen will be in attendance to hear a presentation by Consultant Jim Coyne of Concentric Energy Advisors on Cape Wind's proposed wind turbine farm for Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound and its impacts on Nantucket.

The NP&EDC's meeting is on Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. at 2 Fairgrounds Road. I